Through Thick and Thin
by TJ Sparkles
Summary: AJ Styles and Karen Angle have had quite a tumultuous relationship onscreen. But what is their relationship truly like off-screen? AJ has always been there for Karen, but how does she feel? AJ/Karen oneshot.


"Through Thick and Thin"

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not own AJ Styles, Karen Angle, or any of the other people mentioned. The lyrics used are from "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder, which I also do not own. Again, this is not real; it is a work of fiction. As always, feel free to leave me reviews/constructive criticism and let me know what you thought. Hope you enjoy!**

**A/N: I seriously have **no idea** where this came from. This is my first attempt at writing AJ, so, BE NICE!! **

**Special shout out to Mariana. Thanks for all your help and for being an awesome friend :)**

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AJ Styles was sleeping peacefully, with thoughts of last night's TNA iMPACT! running through his tired mind. It had been a good night. He and Eric Young (a.k.a. "Super Eric") had been able to win their match and move on to the next round of the Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament. AJ was happy about advancing to the next round of the tournament. He hadn't really been doing that much lately except for acting dumb and, of course, feuding with Kurt over his wife, Karen.

Karen. He stirred in his sleep as the events of the past couple of months ran through his mind. Never in his entire life had he met a woman like Karen Angle. She was bossy, annoying, bitchy (AJ would never say that, but he thought it), and just plain rude to him. From the moment he met her, he had fallen in love with Karen. AJ couldn't understand why Kurt treated Karen with so little respect. He thought that she was a beautiful, classy lady who deserved to be treated like the princess that she was. But he knew that he couldn't really say anything about the way Kurt treated her because it wasn't his business, and also because he knew that it would only cause trouble and pain for Karen. He didn't want her to get hurt any more than she already was.

AJ was in the process of turning over on his side when a loud ring sounded, startling him and interrupting the process. Rather sleepily, he managed to stumble out of bed, trying not to awaken his girlfriend in the process, and make his way downstairs to the phone. He paused for a moment to rub his eyes, clearing them of sleep, and cleared his throat so that he wouldn't sound half asleep when he spoke.

"Hello?" he croaked out. He had no earthly idea who would be calling him at 1:00 in the morning, and he was actually kind of annoyed that he had been woken up, but he also figured that the only reason anyone would call him would be in the event of an emergency. He immediately began to assume the worst.

"AJ?" He didn't have to be fully awake to recognize the voice. It was none other than Karen Angle. What the heck was she doing calling him at this hour? AJ couldn't imagine what she could possibly want. Unless….she and Kurt had had a fight. Over the past few months, it had become like a routine for Karen to call AJ whenever she and Kurt fought. AJ never minded, but after a while it became repetitive, and even sometimes annoying. Finally, he had told her that she needed to stop calling him and deal with the problem, because he had his own life to live. Apparently she had taken the advice, because until now, AJ hadn't heard from Karen for at least a month and a half.

**Honey why you callin' me so late?**

**It's kinda hard to talk right now**

"Yeah, AJ, it's me," Karen replied. There was a hitch in her voice, and AJ could tell that she was crying. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. He was almost sure that Karen and Kurt had gotten into another argument, and that she probably needed someone to talk to. As much as he wanted to, AJ knew that he probably shouldn't talk to Karen. His life was good, for the first time in a long time, and he wanted it to stay that way. Besides, if his girlfriend were to wake up and hear him talking to Karen, she would probably not be too happy.

**Honey why are you crying? Is everything okay?**

**I gotta whisper 'cause I can't be too loud**

"Karen, I told you before, you can't call here anymore," AJ whispered, with a hint of frustration in his voice. If Rebecca heard him talking on the voice it would definitely cause him a lot of grief. AJ did still harbor feelings for Karen, even though he wasn't exactly sure what they were, but he also loved Rebecca. She had been there for him, as both a friend and a lover, for the past couple of months, and the two of them had a good thing going. AJ didn't want to mess it up.

**Well my girl's in the next room**

**Sometimes I wish she was you**

**I guess we never really moved on**

"I know, but I really needed someone to talk to….Kurt and I got into another fight last night," Karen said. AJ could hear the pain and the begging in her voice, and he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't turn Karen away when she was in pain. He just wasn't that kind of guy. Sighing, he tried to think of a way that he and Karen could talk without waking Rebecca up. In a way, he wanted to talk to Karen too, if only to let her know that he still cared about her as a friend and even though he had moved on and had a woman whom he loved dearly in his life, he still thought about Karen each day. In a way, it was as if they had never moved on after their storyline relationship ended.

**It's really good to hear your voice saying my name, it sounds so sweet**

**Coming from the lips of an angel, hearing those words**

**It makes me weak**

**And I never wanna say goodbye**

**But girl you make it hard to be faithful **

**With the lips of an angel**

AJ tiptoed out of the kitchen, still clutching the cordless phone, and made his way into the den so that he could talk to Karen without having to whisper, or worry that Rebecca would walk in and catch him in mid-conversation. Once he had settled down on the dark brown couch that Christian had bought for him and Rebecca as a house-warming present, he brought the phone back up to his ear.

"Okay, Karen. What's wrong?" he asked softly, concern in his voice. The woman on the other end didn't reply for a few seconds, and AJ thought maybe she had already hung up. "Karen? You still here?" He got a soft sob in reply and immediately felt even worse. Rebecca could come into the den any minute and catch him, and then his whole world would be over. But at the same time, hearing Karen's voice was kind of comforting. He instantly wanted to see and talk to Karen in person, to hold her and stroke her soft hair. AJ wasn't the cheating kind by any means, but Karen wasn't an ordinary woman, either. She had an unbreakable hold over AJ; one that he hadn't been able to break to this day. He wanted her. He needed her.

"It's…it's Kurt," Karen replied quietly. "Last night he came home, and just blew up at me. I didn't even do anything; all I did was ask him how his day was and he started yelling and screaming at me."

AJ felt his face turn red and his heart rate speed up. He had never been as angry as he was with Kurt right now. Karen was a classy lady, a beautiful woman who deserved to be treated like a princess, and Kurt was completely taking advantage of her and treating her as if she was a piece of trash. It made AJ's blood boil and he wanted nothing more at that moment than to go find Kurt and kick the living hell out of him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern. If Kurt had hurt Karen, really **hurt **her, AJ was going to make Kurt pay. Even though he and Karen hadn't spoken in a while, and even though AJ had told Karen that he wanted to move on with his life, he still considered Karen a close friend and he didn't want to see her get hurt. But Kurt being Kurt, had overreacted and accused Karen of cheating on him with AJ—not just in the storyline, but in real life as well. _That's ridiculous, _AJ had tried to tell Kurt, but he wouldn't listen.

"No, I'm not," Karen sobbed. "AJ, please….come over. I need someone to talk to. Please." She was almost begging now, and it was making AJ's heart hurt. "Please….I don't want him to blow up again and hit me like he did last night."

That struck a nerve within AJ and he immediately began to put on his socks and shoes, while throwing on a t-shirt and trying to talk to Karen at the same time.

"He hit you?" he spat angrily. Now Kurt would have hell to pay. AJ knew that he shouldn't go, that he should stay out of Kurt and Karen's business, but he had no respect at all for a man who had a beautiful, loving wife and still treated her like shit. He hadn't known either Kurt or Karen very long, and maybe it was none of his business, but AJ couldn't stand by and tolerate a woman that had been very nice to him and whom he cared a lot about getting hurt. He hadn't been raised to disrespect women and he couldn't believe that Kurt had no respect for anyone but himself.

"I'm on my way, Karen," AJ said, as he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door. "I'll be right there, okay? Just stay right where you are." He scribbled a quick note for Rebecca, a lie about how Christian had called him and asked him to come over because he needed to talk, and quietly shut the door behind him. _God, I shouldn't be doing this, _he said to himself. _This is not my business. There is a woman in there who loves me, and I should not being doing this. _Despite his doubts, though, AJ went anyway. It was at that moment that he realized that Karen did mean a lot to him. He couldn't quite put a name to his feelings, but he knew that Karen was something special to him.

AJ sighed. What exactly would become of him and Rebecca, he wasn't exactly sure. He knew that she would be none too happy with him once she found out that he was talking to Karen again, especially since he had promised her that that part of his life was over. But he needed to follow his heart. Hearing from Karen for the first time in over a month reminded him just how intense their on-screen relationship had been, and if he was lucky, maybe those feelings could be re-kindled. He knew that Karen would probably never leave Kurt, and he knew that having a relationship with Karen behind Kurt's back would only cause him pain in the end, but he didn't want to think about that right now. He felt terribly guilty, but he pushed it aside.

**And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel**

AJ wasn't quite sure what the future would hold for him and Rebecca, or even for him and Karen. All that mattered now, though, was that he was on his way to Karen, to where he felt he truly belonged. He would deal with the consequences later, however severe they would be.

"_I'm on my way, Karen," _he whispered to himself as he turned into Karen's driveway. And for the first time in a long time, he felt that he was truly somewhere that he needed to be.

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**OK….what did you guys think? I'm not too crazy with it, but lemme know how you felt. **


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